Got a pop up saying that my iPhone has been hacked

Question

Level 1

13 points

Got a pop up saying that my iPhone has been hacked

i was surfing on a forum on safari and then i got a pop up saying that my phone has been hacked, that everything I do is being tracked by a hacker and that immediate action is required. I wasn’t worried until I got a mail from apple/iCloud saying that the location has been turned off and that my password no longer requires if anybody wants to use, delete or reactivate my iPhone.

My question is should I be concerned or just move on?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 8, iOS 14

Posted on Dec 6, 2020 4:20 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 6, 2020 5:38 PM in response to Rambo2633

Did you go to see if location was turned off? Log in to https://icloud.com/find and check.

It’s possible that your Apple ID was hacked, but unlikely that it had anything to do with the popup unless you clicked on a link and entered your Apple ID and password.

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Answer 2

Dec 6, 2020 6:04 PM in response to Rambo2633

Well, it doesn’t turn on by itself. After you got the mail from Apple did you check the way I described?

I think you will feel more comfortable if you change your Apple ID password ➡️ Change your Apple ID password - Apple Support and if you don’t currently have 2 factor authentication on your account you should add it ➡️ Two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support. When you add 2FA be sure to create at least 2 “trusted” numbers or devices so you don’t get locked out if you lose access to a number or device.

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Answer 3

stedman1

Level 10

265,910 points

Dec 6, 2020 4:22 PM in response to Rambo2633

Just move on.

All such messages are scams from criminals.

Recognize and avoid phishing messages, phony support calls, and other scams - Apple Support

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Answer 4

Dec 6, 2020 4:53 PM in response to Rambo2633

Well, "close" wasn’t close; it triggered a JavaScript routine that will continue displaying annoying pages that look like popups. There was a link in the page or a number to call to fix the problem, which you ignored. If it comes back See ➡️ Dealing with Safari popups that won&a… - Apple Community. And don’t visit that site again.

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Answer 5

stedman1

Level 10

265,910 points

Dec 6, 2020 4:30 PM in response to Rambo2633

I am sure.

I am also sure that the message is an attempt to have you download some bogus app, or steal your personal and financial information.

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Answer 6

Rambo2633 Author

Level 1

13 points

Dec 6, 2020 5:34 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

Ok, but the mail I got from apple? A mail from apple/iCloud saying that the location has been turned off and that my password no longer requires if anybody wants to use, delete or reactivate my iPhone. Was it only a coincidence that I got that mail almost the exact time I got the “you’ve been hacked” pop up. I’m the only one with access to my iCloud and I certainly did not turn off the location on find my iphone/iCloud.

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Answer 7

Rambo2633 Author

Level 1

13 points

Dec 6, 2020 5:50 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

The location had been on until I got that mail saying the location has been deactivated. When I surfed the web and got that pop up it was on my old iPhone, and the weird thing is that I only got that mail on my new iPhone despite being logged in on the same email on both the phones. I double checked my inbox on the old phone and didn’t find that mail from apple. And no I didn’t enter my iCloud password anywhere.

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Answer 8

Dec 6, 2020 5:52 PM in response to Rambo2633

Is location off now? Did you check as I suggested?

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Answer 9

Rambo2633 Author

Level 1

13 points

Dec 6, 2020 6:00 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

no, it’s now on but when I got the mail from apple I checked and the location was off and didn’t change it.

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Answer 10

Rambo2633 Author

Level 1

13 points

Dec 6, 2020 6:14 PM in response to Lawrence Finch

when I got the mail saying the location has been deactivated I checked and it was off. I changed the password as soon as I got the mail. Plus I didn’t see any other software being logged into my iCloud except my own and kept checking every 5 minutes. And I already had two factor authentication on.

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